Professor Dossa 'embarrassing'.

Antigonish, N.S. -- Shiraz Dossa, professor of political science at St. Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, Nova Scotia, faced fierce criticism from his university colleagues in December, 2006. Dossa was censured by fellow faculty members after attending a conference in Tehran, Iran--the main purpose of which was to deny the reality of World War Two's Jewish holocaust.

Dossa claims that he himself is not a "holocaust-denier." However, his fellow attendees included former American Klu Klux Klan leader David Duke, and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a Muslim who denies the Jewish holocaust out of hatred for the state of Israel. Dossa presented a paper at the conference on the war on terror and "how the holocaust plays into it" (Globe and Mail, Dec. 21, 2006).

Prof. Dossa, in response, has criticized his colleagues for not upholding his academic freedom. The university administration seemed to cast doubts on him being retained as a faculty member, but in the end, no disciplinary action was taken. In 1990, "the University of Western Ontario, with its law school and financial resources, was not able to get rid of Prof. [John Philippe] Rushton [accused by critics of conducting eugenic research]," recalled physics Prof. Michael Steinitz in an interview with Catholic Insight. "Therefore it's not likely that St. FX could succeed in a similar endearour," using its relatively fewer resources. Steinitz and 106 other faculty signed a statement saying that while they do respect Prof. Dossa's academic freedom, they are "profoundly embarrassed" by his participation in the holocaust-denying conference.

As chancellor of the university, Antigonish Bishop Raymond Lahey also deplored Prof. Dossa's action in a letter to the Globe & Mail: "The conference was widely regarded in advance as an attempt by the current Iranian government to minimize the Holocaust and to undermine the existence of the state of Israel. Both those objectives are clearly unacceptable and, more than that, are worthy of contempt" (Dec. 14, 2007).

The Tehran conference was likewise condemned by the Holy See and other national governments. Said the Vatican Press Office, "The memory of those horrible events must remain as a warning for people's consciences in order to end conflict, respect the legitimate rights of all peoples, urge people towards peace in truth and justice" (AsiaNews.it, Dec. 12, 2006).